THE STAFF of an interior decorating company are supporting a food bank by open the doors of a reverse advent calendar.

Instead of indulging in a mini-square of chocolate, each day CBS Office Interiors workers bring in a donation.

Come the Christmas holidays they will have amassed a mound of long-life food items, such as tinned and dried, as well as a selection of sweet treats.

A large scale donation will then be made to the Kerith Community Church Foodbank in Bracknell.

Phil Green, managing director at the Ascot firm, said: “For many local businesses Christmas is celebrated by covering the office in tinsel and fairy lights, organising Secret Santas and office Christmas parties.

"While the team at CBS embrace all these festivities we also wanted to do something for a local charity and support people in the local community who are finding it tough at this time of year.

"The Reverse Advent Calendar idea really inspired the whole team. It’s a simple idea that we can all get behind and feel that we are helping in some small way.”

The idea for a Reverse Advent Calendar was conceived by online organisation UK Money Bloggers as a way of boosting donations to foodbanks at a peak time.

December sees demand for food parcels increasing, with 45 per cent during the two weeks before Christmas.

The Bracknell Foodbank operates from The Kerith Centre, Church Road, Bracknell, and is open for donations Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm or Sundays 8.30am to 1pm and 5.30pm to 8pm.